HAMTRAMCK, Mich. – While the City of Detroit never landed a Major League Soccer franchise, we at least can now say we’ve beaten an MLS team with the Detroit City Football Club pulling off a thrilling 2-1 upset win Tuesday (April 19) night over the Columbus Crew.
This victory proved to be quite historic for Detroit because we have not had an MLS team play in the city.
“A lot of marching, a lot of singing and a lot of smoke,” said one female fan.
“This is historic for Detroit because we have not had an MLS team play here in Detroit,” said fan Richard Cole.
The win is not historic because of the game’s outcome or because another Michigan team beat the team down south (which is always a plus) but because of who DCFC beat. Detroit City FC took down the two-time champion Columbus Crew in front of a packed house.
Read: Detroit City Football Club faces MLS team for first time In franchise’s history
It was clear early that the unfriendly confines of Keyworth Stadium rattled the boys from Ohio.
“You can see Northern Guard, the cheering section on the other side of the field, the enthusiasm that they have is like a Major League Soccer team,” Cole said. “Now that we’re one level below that, it’s just phenomenal for the city.”
Just hosting the match was important for DCFC to keep rising amid the professional soccer ranks. But as DCFC pulled even in the second half, it became clear to devoted fans like Cole that DCFC needed to win.
“This is what this team needs,” Cole said. “The exposure for Detroit to show that we have one more professional team other than the Lions, the Tigers, the Red Wings, and the Pistons. “We have Detroit City Football Club to represent this city.”
The atmosphere helped DCFC advance to the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup, where they will take on Hartford Athletic Saturday night at Trinity Health Stadium.